BrigitI'd like it to be perfect . . . Beautiful . . . The statue . . . Unbeatable? . . . I'd like it to be what I feel . . . And I don't know what that is.Set in the 1950s, Brigit, a prequel to Murphy's critically-acclaimed Bailegangaire (1985), tells the story of Mommo and Séamus, grandparents living on the breadline, who are raising three grandchildren: Mary, Dolly and Tom, when Séamus is offered a job to carve a statue of St Br...

"The most distinctive, the most restless, the most obsessive imagination at work in the Irish theatre today" Brian FrielThe Wake recounts the story of a woman, returning from the USA to her home town in Ireland. As her family learn of her years as a prostitute, she learns their attitudes and Irish society in general. A homecoming play, haunting yet fiercely comic.

"The most distinctive, the most restless, the most obsessive imagination at work in the Irish theatre today" Brian FrielModelled on Oliver Goldsmith's classic novel The Vicar of Wakefield, Murphy builds a comedy peopled with thieves, pimps, bawds, lechers and imposters who will prey on innocence unless God - or the ruling class - takes a hand. It centres around the downfall of Dr Primrose, who relates the misadventures that have caused his downfall and brought disintegration and ru...

A "remarkable" account of a family's years wandering Scotland and England in a bus, living the traditional life of their people ( Caledonia).From the ages of five to fifteen, Jess Smith lived with her parents and sisters and a mongrel dog in an old blue bus. They traveled the length and breadth of Scotland, and much of England too, stopping here and there until they were moved on by the local authorities or driven by their own instinctive need to travel. B...

More "heartwarming reminiscences" of Scottish Traveller life from the author of Jessie's Journey and Tales from the Tent ( Sunday Post).In this book, Jess Smith concludes her riveting autobiographical trilogy, tracing her eventful life with Dave and their three children from their earliest years together. Their adventures and achievements are interspersed with stories of her parents' childhoods, her father's "tall tales," and the eerie ec...

From the fields of Angus to the mills of Dundee, a family struggles to find their way home. Perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries, Rita Bradshaw and Kitty Neale.To young Victoria Cameron, Angus, Scotland is the most beautiful place on earth and she dreams of staying on her little farm for ever. But the death of her beloved grandfather leaves her and her mother without a farm and without a home.Never one to give up, Victoria soon finds work in a Dundee...

The unforgettable first novel in the classic Stevenson Family Saga from epic master Malcolm MacdonaldJohn Stevenson is a just a foreman when a near-fatal accident bring young Nora Telling into his life. Her nimbleness of mind and his power of command enable them to take over the working mill and rescue it from catastrophe. Together with their friends the Thorntons-who are troubled by a marriage mismatched in passion-they are willing to risk any dare, commit themsel...

Irish Fairy Tales is a captivating anthology that gathers a rich tapestry of traditional Irish folklore and mythology, beautifully illustrating the enchanting world of the fae and the natural landscape of Ireland. Each tale is steeped in lyrical language and vivid imagery, a testament to the oral storytelling traditions that inform these narratives. The collection honors its literary heritage by preserving the authentic charm of the original texts while rendering them accessible for contem...

Here, now, listen, I'll tell you a tale . . .Daffodils are in bloom as dawn breaks over the foothills of Ballycumber, ushering in hope for a new day and stirring the ghosts of a past fraught with sorrow, anguish and emptiness.In search of advice, young Evans Stafford calls at the home of friend and strong-minded traditionalist, Nicholas Farquhar. The following day, as Farquhar learns the devastating consequences of this meeting, he discovers that his memories and w...

Little Rose McGinley is just seven years old when her family is harshly evicted from their home in Donegal, victims of the Clearances of 1861. It is the first step in what will be a long and eventful journey for Rose, one that will take her from Donegal to Kerry, and back again to the North, with her husband and four children.But the feisty little girl blossoms into a woman of extraordinary character, who confronts hardship and tragedy - as well as great happiness - with steadfast courage ...

Dames Don't Care brings back Peter Cheyney’s hard-boiled FBI agent Lemmy Caution who, after exchanging information about a mysterious woman with a fellow agent, finds that agent dead and stuffed in a refrigerator. Now on the hunt for who the mysterious woman is, Lemmy must race against time to find the perp responsible for his fellow agent's murder.HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook ...

C. J. Dennis's Collected Works contained 5 works written by Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis, better known as C. J. Dennis, (7 September 1876 - 22 June 1938) was an Australian poet known for his humorous poems, especially "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke", published in the early 20th century. Though Dennis's work is less well known today, his 1916 publication of The Sentimental Bloke sold 65,000 copies in its first year, and by 1917 he was the most prosperous poet in Australian hi...